More Proofs of Infants Church Membership and Right to Baptism, Preface 1 – Letters 1
The PREFACE.
§. 1. THE occaſion and time of theſe Letters is long ago publiſhed by Mr. Tombes himſelf in the third Part of his Anti-Paedobaptiſm, page 353. and forward; where he printeth the ſaid Letters without my conſent: Had I found his Anſwers ſatisfactory, I had changed my judgement and retracted that and other ſuch writings long ago. But I thought ſo much otherwiſe of them that I judged it not neceſſary, nor worth my diverting from better employment to write an anſwer to them.
§. 2. And whatever the ſingular judgement of that learned and excellent Profeſſor of Theology mentioned in his Preface, was or is concerning the arguments that I, and many before and ſince have uſed for Infant Baptiſm, and notwithſtanding his opinion that it was introduced in the ſecond Century, &c. yet ſo many wiſer and better men than I, think otherwiſe both of the cauſe, and of Mr. T's writings, that I hope the modeſt will allow me the honour of having very good company if I ſhould prove miſtaken.
§. 3. No ſober Chriſtian will deny but that Godly men of both opinions may be ſaved: And then I think no ſuch Chriſtian that is acquainted with the Hiſtory of the Church, can chooſe but think that there are now in Heaven many thouſands, if not hundred thouſands that were not againſt Infant Baptiſm, for one that was againſt it: And while we differ de jure, yet without great ignorance of the ſtate of the world, we muſt needs agree that de facto, the number in the Church of Chriſt in all Nations and Ages that have been againſt Infant Baptiſm hath been ſo ſmall, as that they make up but a very little part of the Church triumphant: which though I take for no proof of the truth of our opinion, yet I judge it a great reaſon to make me and others very fearful of turning raſhly and without cogent proof to the other ſide. I know the Churches have ſtill had their blemiſhes; but that they ſhould all univerſally ſo err in the ſubject of Baptiſm and Chriſtianity it ſelf, is not to be believed till it be proved.
§. 4. Though Chriſt be not the Author of any of our errors, he is the healer of them, and he is the Effector as well as the Director of his Churches faith and holineſs: And yet to ſay that though thouſands or hundred thouſands are in Heaven that were for Infant Baptiſm, for one that was againſt it, yet Chriſt was againſt even ſuch a conſtitutive part of his Church (as accounted) is not to be received without good proof.
§. 5. For my part I muſt ſtill ſay, that after all that I have read for the Anabaptiſts, and much more than ſuch Catalogues as Mr. Danvers, I do not at preſent remember that I have read of any one Chriſtian that held the baptizing of Infants unlawful, in many and many hundred years after Chriſt; at leaſt not any that denied not Original ſin: Though indeed the Pelagians themſelves that did deny it much, yet denied not Infant Baptiſm.
§. 6. But of this enough heretofore: I lay not my faith on the number of Conſenters; but in a doubtful caſe I think the way that almoſt all went that are in Heaven, and took it as the very entrance of the door of life, is ſafer caeteris paribus than that which few in Heaven did own: And though on earth I have more approvers than Mr. T. I think mans approbation ſo poor a comfort, as that I am ſorry to read in his Preface and elſewhere how much he layeth upon it. Alas, were it not more for the good of others than our ſelves, how inconſiderable a matter were it, whether men value and honour, or deſpiſe us, and what we are thought or ſaid of by each other, when we are all on the borders of eternity, where the honour of this world is of no ſignification?
§. 7. In the anſwer which I muſt give to Mr. Tombes, ſhould I tranſcribe all his words, and anſwer every impertinent paſſage, I ſhould needleſly weary the Reader and my ſelf: I will therefore ſuppoſe the Reader to have his Book at hand, and to take his words as he hath given him them; that I may not be blamed as concealing any of them. And I ſhall anſwer to nothing, but what ſeemeth to me to need an anſwer: And for all the reſt I am content that the impartial Reader judge of them as he findeth them: For I write not for ſuch as need an anſwer to every word that is written, how frivolous ſoever, againſt plain truth.
Mr. Tombes his firſt Letter.
SIR,
NOt finding yet that Law or Ordinance of Infants viſible Church-memberſhip which you aſſert in your book of Baptiſm to be unrepealed, I do requeſt you to ſet down the particular Text or Texts of Holy Scripture where you conceive that Law or Ordinance is written, and to tranſmit it to me by this bearer, that your allegations may be conſidered by him who is
April 3. 1655. Yours as is meet, John Tombes.